Shema שמע
Shema — in Hebrew שמע — hear; the first word of the Shema. Shema appears 467,089 times as an equidistant letter sequence in the Torah at skips 2–5,000, 0.3% more than chance alone would give (about 465,794; probability 0.03).
- Found in the Torah
- 467,089
- Chance alone
- 465,794
- P (≥ found)
- 0.03
- Shortest skip
- 2
Skips 2–5,000, both directions, final letters folded, the written text — the laboratory's own defaults.
In the Torah
At skips 2–5,000, שמע appears 467,089 times in the Torah — 0.3% more than the 465,794 chance alone would give; the probability of 467,089 or more by chance alone is 0.03.
The shortest skip at which שמע appears in the Torah is 2 — the first at Genesis 6:16, reading forward.
At every skip the Torah allows (2–152,424), שמע is found 7,274,823 times; chance alone would give about 7,219,611.
A three-letter spelling is common at these skips: in a text of 304,850 letters chance alone produces about 465,794 of it, so a large count is expected.
- Genesis 95,528
- Exodus 122,329
- Leviticus 62,358
- Numbers 117,660
- Deuteronomy 69,214
The shortest skips
צֹהַר תַּֽעֲשֶׂה לַתֵּבָה וְאֶל־אַמָּה תְּכַלֶנָּה מִלְמַעְלָה וּפֶתַח הַתֵּבָה בְּצִדָּהּ תָּשִׂים תַּחְתִּיִּם שְׁנִיִּם וּשְׁלִשִׁים תַּֽעֲשֶֽׂהָ
A light shalt thou make to the ark, and to a cubit shalt thou finish it upward; and the door of the ark shalt thou set in the side thereof; with lower, second, and third stories shalt thou make it.
skip 2, width 2 — the matrix is as wide as the skip, so the sequence reads down one column. letter 7,613Open in the laboratory →
וַיִּקַּח שֵׁם וָיֶפֶת אֶת־הַשִּׂמְלָה וַיָּשִׂימוּ עַל־שְׁכֶם שְׁנֵיהֶם וַיֵּֽלְכוּ אֲחֹרַנִּית וַיְכַסּוּ אֵת עֶרְוַת אֲבִיהֶם וּפְנֵיהֶם אֲחֹרַנִּית וְעֶרְוַת אֲבִיהֶם לֹא רָאֽוּ
And Shem and Japheth took a garment, and laid it upon both their shoulders, and went backward, and covered the nakedness of their father; and their faces were backward, and they saw not their father’s nakedness.
skip 2, width 2 — the matrix is as wide as the skip, so the sequence reads down one column. letter 11,299Open in the laboratory →
וַיַּשְׁכֵּם יַעֲקֹב בַּבֹּקֶר וַיִּקַּח אֶת־הָאֶבֶן אֲשֶׁר־שָׂם מְרַֽאֲשֹׁתָיו וַיָּשֶׂם אֹתָהּ מַצֵּבָה וַיִּצֹק שֶׁמֶן עַל־רֹאשָֽׁהּ
And Jacob rose up early in the morning, and took the stone that he had put under his head, and set it up for a pillar, and poured oil upon the top of it.
skip 2, width 2 — the matrix is as wide as the skip, so the sequence reads down one column. letter 39,553Open in the laboratory →
וַיִּֽחַר־אַף יַעֲקֹב בְּרָחֵל וַיֹּאמֶר הֲתַחַת אֱלֹהִים אָנֹכִי אֲשֶׁר־מָנַע מִמֵּךְ פְּרִי־בָֽטֶן
And Jacob’s anger was kindled against Rachel; and he said: ‘Am I in God’s stead, who hath withheld from thee the fruit of the womb?’
skip 2, width 2 — the matrix is as wide as the skip, so the sequence reads down one column. letter 41,604Open in the laboratory →
וַיָּסַר בַּיּוֹם הַהוּא אֶת־הַתְּיָשִׁים הָֽעֲקֻדִּים וְהַטְּלֻאִים וְאֵת כָּל־הָֽעִזִּים הַנְּקֻדּוֹת וְהַטְּלֻאֹת כֹּל אֲשֶׁר־לָבָן בּוֹ וְכָל־חוּם בַּכְּשָׂבִים וַיִּתֵּן בְּיַד־בָּנָֽיו
And he removed that day the he-goats that were streaked and spotted, and all the she-goats that were speckled and spotted, every one that had white in it, and all the dark ones among the sheep, and gave them into the hand of his sons.
skip 2, width 2 — the matrix is as wide as the skip, so the sequence reads down one column. letter 43,087Open in the laboratory →
Across the Tanakh
At skips 2–5,000, שמע appears 1,797,324 times in the whole Tanakh — 0.3% more than the 1,792,636 chance alone would give; the probability of 1,797,324 or more by chance alone is 0.00023.
- Genesis 95,528
- Exodus 122,329
- Leviticus 62,358
- Numbers 117,660
- Deuteronomy 73,213
- Joshua 65,745
- Judges 60,925
- Samuel 131,521
- Kings 157,455
- Isaiah 96,354
- Jeremiah 112,319
- Ezekiel 96,805
- The Twelve 78,667
- Psalms 108,565
- Proverbs 45,115
- Job 49,188
- Song of Songs 7,947
- Ruth 7,786
- Lamentations 7,769
- Ecclesiastes 21,288
- Esther 22,259
- Daniel 25,375
- Ezra–Nehemiah 73,459
- Chronicles 157,694
Outside the Torah
וַֽיַּחֲרִימוּ אֶת־כָּל־אֲשֶׁר בָּעִיר מֵאִישׁ וְעַד־אִשָּׁה מִנַּעַר וְעַד־זָקֵן וְעַד שׁוֹר וָשֶׂה וַחֲמוֹר לְפִי־חָֽרֶב
And they utterly destroyed all that was in the city, both man and woman, both young and old, and ox, and sheep, and ass, with the edge of the sword.
skip 2, width 2 — the matrix is as wide as the skip, so the sequence reads down one column. letter 312,850Open in the laboratory →
וַיֹּאמֶר יְהוֹשֻׁעַ מֶה עֲכַרְתָּנוּ יַעְכֳּרְךָ יְהוָה בַּיּוֹם הַזֶּה וַיִּרְגְּמוּ אֹתוֹ כָל־יִשְׂרָאֵל אֶבֶן וַיִּשְׂרְפוּ אֹתָם בָּאֵשׁ וַיִּסְקְלוּ אֹתָם בָּאֲבָנִֽים
And Joshua said: ‘Why hast thou troubled us? the LORD shall trouble thee this day.’ And all Israel stoned him with stones; and they burned them with fire, and stoned them with stones.
skip 2, width 2 — the matrix is as wide as the skip, so the sequence reads down one column. letter 315,120Open in the laboratory →
וַיִּשְׂרֹף יְהוֹשֻׁעַ אֶת־הָעָי וַיְשִׂימֶהָ תֵּל־עוֹלָם שְׁמָמָה עַד הַיּוֹם הַזֶּֽה
So Joshua burnt Ai, and made it a heap for ever, even a desolation, unto this day.
skip 2, width 2 — the matrix is as wide as the skip, so the sequence reads down one column. letter 317,059Open in the laboratory →
The spelling
שמע — the Tanakh's own spelling: hear; the first word of the Shema. Searched as שמע, 3 letters, with a standard gematria value of 410.
As a plain word it stands 171 times in the Tanakh, first at Genesis 16:11. Every word of the Tanakh in the Word Index →
The same letters also spell: Shama.
Questions
Is Shema in the Torah codes?
At skips 2–5,000, שמע appears 467,089 times in the Torah — 0.3% more than the 465,794 chance alone would give; the probability of 467,089 or more by chance alone is 0.03.
What is the shortest skip for Shema in the Torah?
Skip 2, reading forward from Genesis 6:16 — the shortest of 467,089 sequences at skips 2–5,000, where chance alone would give about 465,794.
What is the gematria of Shema in Hebrew?
Shema is spelled שמע — 3 letters searched, with a standard gematria value of 410.
How many times is Shema found in the whole Tanakh?
At skips 2–5,000, שמע appears 1,797,324 times in the whole Tanakh — 0.3% more than the 1,792,636 chance alone would give; the probability of 1,797,324 or more by chance alone is 0.00023.
Search it yourself
The laboratory runs the same search live in your browser — every sequence, the matrix around it, and the chance figure (about 465,794 here) beside the count.